Rain Or Sunshine...

In The Last Chapter:

When Nic had returned to Fairy Tail, he found the Guild Hall destroyed and everyone operating in the basement. Later that night, as everyone else was asleep, Team Shadow Gear gets ambushed by Gajeel, the Iron Dragon Slayer from Phantom Lord. Nic rushes in and fights alongside Mega Charizard and the two manage to defeat him after a hard fought brawl, though he retreats wounded back to Phantom Lord...

Chapter 8: Rain Or Sunshine...

After the devastating brawl that involved Nic, Charizard/Mega Charizard, and Gajeel was settled, Nic was helped back to Magnolia, where Jet and Droy were being watched over by Mira and Levy throughout the night until some professional medics arrived.

"Ow! Okay, that stings." Nic complained, but Porlyusica just rolled her eyes and continued applying medicine to his calf bruise.

"Don't complain. You're lucky that your bruise didn't get any bigger, otherwise it would be infected." The elderly pink haired woman sighed irritably. She finished applying the medicine and wrapped Nic's leg wound in bandages. She then went over to look at her other two patience that were attended to earlier.

Nic's gaze went over towards Jet and Droy, of whom were seriously wounded from a certain Iron Dragon Slayer ambushing them in the black of the night. They were both sleeping in beds, as to where Nic didn't need a bed since he was treated on a counter. The two were sound asleep from the treatments Porlyusica had provided. The two were diagnosed to be in stable condition, but won't be going anywhere for a few days.

"Thanks again." Nic muttered.

Porlyusica merely glared at Nic and turned her head sharply going "Hmph." And then exiting the hospital room.

"You'll have to excuse my old friend Nic. She isn't fond of humans nor human nature for that matter." Makarov spoke, stepping up to Nic.

Compared to Jet and Droy's injuries, Nic got off lucky. Other than his leg injury, he was perfectly fine if not tired and exhausted from last night. He didn't get a single wince of sleep because of his deep concerns for his fellow guild members.

Erza, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Levy were all there in the same room, seeing them in such a feeble state. Not as much concern was addressed to Nic since he was fine though. The guild in general was infuriated with Phantom Lord and its cowardly stunts. This was the last straw.

Levy was sitting in between her two fallen comrades' beds, with tears swelling up in her eyes. She looked down at them in their sorry states and she couldn't bare but think that it was all her fault. Lucy say next to her to comfort her friend's mind, but to have little results. She felt even more guilty that she couldn't prevent Nic's leg injury.

Everyone was not only discomforted, but the fact that the same guy attacked twice had made them erupt in anger. Elfman was clenching his fists so hard that blood almost stopped circulating towards them. Gray was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, as to where Natsu had a dreaded look that made him want to thrash someone in the next three seconds.

"Why couldn't I help…I couldn't do anything." Levy muttered, almost letting tears fall. Her voice was faint, but could be heard. "I'm so weak. I should've just went back home and then we could all be fine. This is all my fault."

"Levy, if anyone's to blame, it's Phantom Lord." Gray said, trying to ease a sobbing Levy.

"Yes, Phantom was done enough damage to us. They've crossed the line of tormenting our guild members with such anguish." Erza said, stepping forward.

A silence broke out as no one could do anything but just looked on at the two injured people…well, unless you count Nic as two and a half. Makarov just looked down and started shaking with such rage.

"I can handle our Guild Hall being trashed, I can handle our guild being blown away ten times over, but this act of violence has started something that Jose shouldn't have! Jose has gone and done the unthinkable. He needs to be reminded to never mess with my children. He wanted a battle, we're giving him a war!"

Everyone felt riled up from Master's speech. They all knew that you shouldn't go and mess with family, especially when it's Fairy Tail. Now was time to take action.

"Everyone, prepare the rest of the guild. We're taking the battle to Jose and Phantom Lord! We move at once!" Makarov commanded.

Everyone shouted in agreement. Natsu was all fired up now. His fists were raging with such heat that he was aching to let out.

"Yeah, it's about time Gramps!" Natsu said smiling with determination.

Nic looked on as the rest of the guild was cheering for their upcoming war, only to look down. He wasn't happy at all. He couldn't be. Not only could he not join the others, but the fact that war wasn't Nic's strong suite. Sure he had rivalries back in Kalos, but those rivalries didn't include beating the other trainer's pokémon senseless when it was already down. Fairy Tail was already down, and Phantom had gone and trashed them. If it were a one on one fight, then maybe, but Nic wasn't going to join such melee if it meant blood being spilled. He'll take the home front and keep watch over everything while they're kicking booties.

Natsu and Gray left the hospital room. Elfman followed them out. The Girls were about to do the same, but then their gaze started to drift over towards Nic.

They noticed that he was silent. He didn't seem like his usual self. This aura of Sadness and Pain made them feel unhappy.

"Nic, you alright?" The Celestial mage asked.

Nic gazed up at her and did a half smile. "War isn't my specialty. I'll just take it easy back here." He said, feeling disgusted by thinking of blood. Erza could see it in his eyes. This was one of Nic's weaknesses: Blood. She felt sorry for him, but had to shift her focus back to where her attention should he held, which was the upcoming battle.

Nic continued. "Tell the guys to smack a few for me, will ya?"

Mira looked on and smiled reassuringly. "Yes. We will, We'll see you later Nic, Try to get some rest" She said, exiting the room.

As soon as they had departed, only Nic and Levy were in the room, as well as an injured Jet and Droy. The thoughts came flooding through Nic's brain about the upcoming battle. He highly doubted that there will be blood, the meaning of war itself sickened him. It meant comrades and family getting hurt, and if that were to happen, he might freak out. That made memories flush back to when he was abused by his parents.

It was a little house in Vaniville Town. His sister was still in her diapers, including the one she was wearing on her head as a hat. She crawled about while Nic was making a peanut butter sandwich. He was in the kitchen as to where his sister was in the other room.

He was finishing up with the spreading of the peanut butter and pressed on with the jelly. When he had opened the lid, he heard a thud in the other room. Upon instinct, he dropped the jar of jelly and it broke on the floor.

Not even caring for the mess that he had made, he rushed over to see that his baby sister was crying. She was sitting there and weeping as Nic was coming to comfort her.

The thud was from her falling back when she tried to stand up. She had made a few attempts at this before, but that was when her parents were around. Her parents were upstairs and Nic was downstairs, easing his sister.

"Ssshhh. It's okay now. Big brother is here." Nic hushed quietly, making her calm down. She stopped crying and looked up to see him. She was pretty happy to see her brother.

Until their parents came down.

Nic's dad had a goatee and short, black hair. He had an unkempt stubble and he had crude green eyes. He wasn't in the best shape, as he was a little overweight and his skin was pale.

Nic's mother had messy, long, blonde hair. She was a little shorter than Nic's dad,but her blue eyes were just like Nic's, only hers weren't as pure. She was in no better shape than her husband. She was skinny and she wore no makeup.

In summary, they were considered those kind of parents that took no shame in their looks nor personalities.

They saw Nic's baby sister crying. The mom went over to pick her up as to where the dad just dragged Nic away.

"What did you do to Vanessa?" His father demanded. Nic was deeply offended, but he couldn't do anything against them. It was a hopeless situation for him. His father looked to see that the jelly jar had been smashed.

"Nic! What did you do now?!" His father roared in the kitchen.

"What did he do now?" His mother yelled. She gently set down Vanessa and smiled and waved at their favorite child. She waltzed on over and saw that Nic had dropped the jar.

"Nic!" His mother yelled, very displeased. Nic was in trouble, all because he went to help his baby sister. His father went over and he glared down at Nic. He was frightened. He put up his hands to gesture a surrender.

"Wait. I can explain-!" It was short lived when his father kicked him down hard and made him land on his back. He turned over onto his stomach and tried to get back up without crying. His mother stomped on over and she glared furiously at Nic. They were upset because they thought he had hit Vanessa, and Nic was gonna get the jelly jar and hit her with it until he heard them come down.

How stupid are they?!

His mom jerked him up and slapped his face repeatedly, not wanting to see him as a bigger failure than he already was.

"Nic Pularis, you tell us what you were doing with that broken jar! Were you trying to hurt your sister with the shards?!"

Nic was wide eyed and scared. He had no say.

"You need to be responsible. You can't try and hurt Vanessa just because she gets more attention than you! You dumb bastard!" His father berated, yanking Nic from his mother and dropping him to the floor on his back. His father went over and got the shattered remains and held them over Nic. "Let's see how you like it if you were in her place!"

"No, please!" Nic cried. "It was all a misunderstan-!" He wasn't allowed to speak and the shards came bombarding Nic's back, which felt terrible. Afterwards, he was left with a scratched up and bloody back and his parents forced him up and made him sit in the corner of the living room and go the whole day without eating.

The parents wanted perfect kids, and they had given up on Nic when he was born, thinking he was a mistake. Worst parents ever. They weren't very educated, not bright, and they were a little high on the alcohol they consume and take out all of their frustrations on Nic.

His sister had it easy, but Nic went through fifteen years of bloody hell, but still came out fine.

Back to reality, he slowly got up and tried to seek a quiet place to think. He needed a walk in nature or something. He plugged in his earbuds and made way out the door. Levy didn't pay any attention, but did take note of Nic's leave.

He got out of there and saw Lucy outside the hospital. Nic walked right up to her.

"Hey, Lucy." Nic said, trying to shake off any remains of that horrid flashback. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting ready for battle?" Nic could see that Lucy had no vengeful look in her eyes. He saw that she wasn't planning on joining the brawl.

Lucy frowned. "Well, the S-Class Wizards are out on job requests and Levy's watching over Jet and Droy. I think that it would be best to have more than just you, Levy, and Mira watching the guild. Since Levy won't leave their side, and Mira isn't much of a fighter, that leaves you and me. You're almost recovered, but I can't leave a friend knowing he's been through a lot. I'm watching the guild as well." Lucy said.

It wasn't such a bad idea to have Lucy stay behind, but it was for the best though. She was in the guild just as long as Nic, but she was just a little less inexperienced. It was best to leave them watching over while the others went for war.

Nic nodded. "Okay. Look, I'm heading out to get some fresh air. A hospital isn't where I belong. Be back soon, okay?"

Lucy nodded. "Alright, just be careful and make sure that if any trouble happens, signal me."

Nic started walking passed her. "Same." He plugged in his earbuds and then began walking off into the outskirts of town.

Lucy looked back and sighed. "This blows. Though I do wanna fight, I can't risk getting as injured as Jet or Droy. Ugh." She looked around and saw nobody there. No trouble seemed to be in sight, so she must have been in the clear for now.

"I guess I should get some groceries for Levy and bring them back to her. She hasn't eaten since yesterday." Lucy then went off into the market to get some food for her worried friend. It shouldn't be too long until she gets back, as long as she doesn't get delayed that is.

Meanwhile…

Nic had finally made it to another forest clearing. Not too far from where he and Gajeel had brawled. He had to get out to nature rather than lay in a hospital bed. Nic unplugged his earbuds and put them back into his pockets.

He slowly slid back against a tree trunk and closed his eyes. He could feel the grass and how the bark felt on his back. With the sun out, he flipped on his sunglasses and started to clear his head.

All of those wounds from the past, all of that pain, the heartache, the blood, he had to get that out of his head. That horrid childhood only scarred him for life, literally, and he couldn't seem to find such a place to ease himself. That childhood did make Nic see things the way they are now. For instance, he's not afraid of Erza one bit because he found his parents far more intimidating. The reason he has his earbuds in all the time is to drown out the pain he took in, and the reason he flips out in situations he didn't understand, like when the guild was destroyed, was because that happened a lot when he was young. Nic had grown since then to become a better being and understand others. What didn't kill him only made him stronger.

He sat in quiet for a good five minutes or so, and he was taking in every sound he could hear. The bushes rustling, the winds blowing, the occasional leaves in the wind. All of this was somehow tranquil to Nic. Nature sure had something to offer him for his discomfort.

Nic had already appreciate the concept of nature and the various environments he had to endure throughout his journey in Kalos. Fiore was no different. He's been through caves, forests, open seas, mountains of snow, pretty much everything you could've imagined. All of these environments made Nic adapt one way or another and that's how he managed to overcome such situations. In some battles, he used the surrounding to win, like have Greninja dive in nearby pond, or simply have Kecleon change into her surroundings.

Not much could be said otherwise for him. He always thought of nature as a hurdle to jump over. He never actually considered it to be peaceful to him this way, but that was changing for him.

The longer he sat there, the more nature he took in. He could feel the sun's rays beaming down on him, the heat making him feel like a plant. Nic was feeling as though his energy was slowly recovering.

He took notice as to how he was somehow being restored. He was slowly accumulating energy from all around him and he felt nothing but the grass he sat on and the bark. Aware that his concentration might break, he stopped taking notice and let it all flow. It was for the best though. He just took it all in as he sat there cross-legged. Now he was feeling something new.

He couldn't be certain, but it had to be that the Plates from within him were reacting as well. They weren't as nearly as strong from when he had gone and obtained the Dread Plate. Rather than feeling them jump all about like atoms, he felt them on a relaxing vibration. The more of nature he took in, the more the Plates began to vibrate.

He kept his breathing steady as he felt his body recover. Slowly in and out, as the oxygen went all about.

As of now, his mind was as fresh as a daisy and clean as the crystal blue water. It was like having a sixth sense, because he then picked up on a signature from above.

He opened his eyes, feeling cleansed of such anguish, though not entirely. He had seen a rain cloud hovering over an area as it flew over magnolia. It wasn't even big, but still he saw it. Rain feel down in a concentrated place and the little cloud was slowly moving deeper into Magnolia.

How could this be? It couldn't possibly be Rain Dance, and he wasn't in his Splash Plate Form to even do Rain Dance. He knew this wasn't natural rain almost immediately because he picked up on some Magic in the rain.

This wasn't a good sign to take. With some new found strength to take back, he got up and rushed back through the trees and back to Magnolia.

Though he hasn't completely recovered from said bruise or previous battle, he had enough energy restored and strength to jump from tree to tree. Nic didn't think as to how he could've gotten some energy back, but he had to focus on the matter at hand.

"I'm coming guys, hang on." Nic muttered as he jumped from tree to tree.

Magnolia...

Lucy had just gotten the groceries that she was looking for and stockpiled them all into one bag. There were a variety of things that she had bought, and she needed to get them to Levy.

"Oh man, Nic sure has been gone for quite some time." She said. "It's been over half an hour, how long does a nature walk around here take anyway?" Suddenly, Lucy felt rain fall down on her all of a sudden. She looked up to see that it wasn't sunny anymore, but cloudy and rainy.

"Rain?" She couldn't help but feel curious as to how it could be raining when it was sunny not even ten seconds ago. She looked to see that the groceries and grocery bag were getting soggy and the bread was softening. "Oh, c'mon! I spend good money on that bread!" She complained. She then saw a person approaching her.

She was a blue-haired woman in a coat that wrapped around her body. She had blue emotionless eyes and an expressionless face. She had some sort of doll on her coat that was keeping her coat buttoned. She kept going "Drip, drip, drop" and continued onward as she walked by Lucy.

"Who are you?" Lucy said, startled by this woman.

"The rain is always with me. What kind of woman are you pray tell?" She asked Lucy as she continued to walk.

"Uh, I'm jst the regular kind. And what's with all of the dripping?" she answered and asked confused. The blue-haired walked right passed her, unfolding her umbrella. "A pleasure to have met you. I must be going."

Lucy turned in annoyance back towards the "drip, drip, drop" woman. "Well take the rain with ya!" Lucy yelled back. Then there was another voice that was heard as they both turned and saw the pavement changing and repeatedly saying. "Non, non, non!"

The pavement then stopped shaping and then transformed into a slim man of average height with a tiny, pointy, moustache and green hair pointing upwards. A monocle was over his right eye, attached to a slim chain. His other eye in general was small and round, compared to his other, larger eye. He wore a brown suit with three protrusions going outwards on both sides. He had on a white shirt with a red tie and had simple shoes. A short cape linked his elbows together.

He had a bizarre stance, with his head tilted. "I bid you bonjour, mademoiselle!" He said in a thick, French accent.

Lucy just looked on baffled. "Oh great, another weirdo?!"

The man then swayed his body and spoke. "Juvia, you must not shy away. You must focus on the task at hand." He then made his way over towards Juvia's side and put two fingers on his monocle, as if adjusting it. "Ah, oui. I see we have our intended target."

"Yes, she is the one." She said blankly.

Lucy didn't whether or not to be freaking out or standing her ground, but she knew these guys were trouble.

"Ah, oui. I have not yet introduce myself. Salut, I am Sol of the Element Four, also known as Sol of the Earth, but it is you who shall refer to me as Monsieur Sol." He said,

"I've heard about you. You're with Phantom!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Ah, oui. We have been send here to collect you and bring you back to the guild. My belle accomplice is Juvia of the Great Sea, she too is a member of the Element Four." Sol explained, bending his body all about.

Lucy then dropped all of her groceries and reached for her Zodiac Keys. She got in a defensive stance as the milk from the grocery bag began to stream out of the carton. What a waste of perfectly good milk!

"You guys are gonna pay for what you did to my friends!" Lucy exclaimed, but the next thing she knew was that her body was floating off the ground and she was being enveloped in a sphere of water.

Nic had finally arrived on a rooftop that towered above the scene. He saw Juvia encase Lucy in the sphere and he witnesses her struggle inside. They had no clue that Nic was towering from above.

Nic then had an epiphany. He felt the Plates stopped reacting, almost lie a switch. When he was ready for battle, that switch turned the Plates off, but when not in combat, the Plates were vibrating. Nic recognized this feeling from before, when he fought Tartaros. Back then, the Plates were going nuts, but they were held off when Nic went into battle. This was that same feeling.

'Wait, does this mean…?' Nic had an assumption that he's slowly unlocking another Plate, though his thoughts were postponed when he saw Lucy slowing down from within. 'Crap! No time to waste. I can't use Charizard since he's still tired, and that water lady looks as though she can manipulate water, leaving Greninja out of the question, so that means that I'm going to have to get up front this time rather than a stealth attack.' Nic then jumped down from the building and landed in between the two Element Four members and Lucy.

Sol and Juvia were taken back as Nic turned and shifted into his Splash Plate and diving in to get Lucy out of Juvia's Water Lock Spell. Since Nic had the Splash Plate active, that meant he could breathe underwater, giving him no trouble when it came to yanking Lucy out. The spell broke when Lucy was pulled out.

"Lucy, are you okay?" Nic asked.

Lucy coughed and looked up at Nic. "Yeah, thanks." Nic then assisted in getting her back up to her feet. The two then glared at Juvia and Sol. Juvia was still looking emotionless, but Sol was still wiggling about in surprise.

"Oh, mon dier! I have never seen such an ability. Someone had just fazed through Juvia's water with ease maintenant!" Sol said.

"It is a new development. Perhaps this is the one that gave Gajeel a hard time." Juvia said. Nic got ready to attack, but first he turned back to Lucy.

"Lucy. Get out of here and back to Mira. If it's you they're after, then I'll put some distance in between." Nic ordered. Lucy hesitated, but she soon took to her heels and turned.

"Be careful." She said, looking back at him. Nic then turned back to his new opponents with distaste.

"I'll try not to." He said, implying that he'll have to get crazy this fight. Lucy nodded and ran off back to the guild's basement. As soon as she was out of sight, everyone was clear to go.

"Now, now monsieur. Why must you be getting in the way? We were on a task to bring Miss Heartfilia back to the guild and then then you showed up." Sol complained, bending his body towards his right.

"Why are you guys after her in the first place?" Nic demanded.

"Ah, that is a good question. But it will not be answered as we must now focus on you." Sol said, bending back upwards.

"Yes. Once we have defeated you, we will pursue Lucy Heartfilia." Juvia said, emotionless. Nic started to get a Water Pulse at the ready.

"You guys have to do a lot better than your pal if you want to get pass me!" Nic exclaimed.

"Very well, monsieur. We shall overcome your strength and then the Heartfilia heir will be ours!" Sol proclaimed. Nic was taken back by this development.

"Heir? What are you saying?" Nic asked, dispelling his Water Pulse. Sol shrieked and wiggled all about.

"Oh non! I have spoiled ses beans! Non! Oh well, it cannot be helped. You might as well be aware that her father had asked us to take her back to him at once."

Nic narrowed his eyes. 'I'll have to get some answers from Lucy later. Right now, these clowns are going down.' Nic then got out a poke ball and tossed it up. "It's time to bring the hurt, Staraptor!" Nic shouted. Staraptor then formed from the energy from Nic's poke ball.

Staraptor proclaimed its name as it flapped in the air. It gave a shiver down Sol and Juvia's spines as it had Intimidate activated. Although, Staraptor has absolute zero fear, making itself extremely confident.

"You ready Staraptor?" Nic asked.

"Ever more. Just say the word and I'll crush them like potato chips!" Staraptor proclaimed.

"Ah, so this is what Monsieur Gajeel was talking about. That giant bird had given me the shivers." Sol analyzed, pinching his tiny moustache.

"It would appear that we'll have to defeat two adversaries now." Juvia said, folding up her umbrella.

The four were glaring at each other for a short while, and then the fun began.

"Allow me to begin. Roche Concerto!" Sol raised his arms over his head and Nic felt the ground beneath him starting to shake. He got out of the way just before the rocks shot upwards. Nic got his footing and managed to get in close to Sol with an Aqua Jet, but Juvia managed to cut him off with her Water Slicer. Nic saw this and stopped just before the blades had hit him. He watched as they all kept on going and sliced through a stand. Nic quickly jumped and used Brine on Sol, but was redirected back at him by Juvia's Magic. Staraptor managed to grab him and yank him out of the way just before getting hit.

"I can control water, so there's no need to use those attacks." Juvia said. Nic grunted as he then shifted into his Toxic Plate Form, seeing as how Juvia could manipulate his Water Type Moves.

"Stupid water lady." He muttered.

"Nic, shall we make it so that we each handle one?" Staraptor asked.

"Sure. You take the French guy, and I take the droopy lady." Nic said. Staraptor then dropped Nic and proceeded towards their intended targets.

"Ah, so I see we have ourselves an arrangement now, have we?" Sol pinched his moustache and grinned. "Very well, you shall suffer from defeat monsieur! Sable Dance!" Sol then created a swirl of sand around Staraptor, attacking him from all four sides. However, Staraptor looked unaffected by this attack, as the sand didn't even faze it.

"What's this? C'est impossible!" Sol exclaimed, seeing Staraptor flap there while taking the swirling sand.

"Is that the best you got? Ground Type attacks won't hurt me!" Staraptor shot straight through the sand and did a whole body 360 and rammed Sol with an Aerial Ace, knocking him onto the ground. Staraptor flew back upwards and circled around to attack again.

"Acid Spray!" Nic shot acid from his mouth as Juvia encased herself in a Water Dome, protecting herself from that one attack.

"Your attacks will prove useless if you can't even touch me." She said. Nic kept his cool, seeing as how he'll have to get up close with her.

"Poison Jab!" Nic then darted at Juvia with his fingers seeping with poison. She lashed her arm and used her Water Slicer to keep her distance from him. He jumped and narrowly dodged. He grunted as his calf didn't make the full recovery. 'Dammit. My jumping's limited. Gotta keep grounded.' Nic then landed and did a Sludge Bomb attack. Juvia, once again, use Water Slicer, but it tied with Nic's Sludge Bomb and there was a small smoke cloud. Nic made no haste in unleashing a Poison Sting, shooting little purple barbs at Juvia through the cloud.

Juvia didn't have time to register this as she was struck with intoxicating barbs, feeling them dart at her like needles. She winced in pain, but recovered from the shock.

"You're not sloppy, but you're gonna have to do better than that! Water Cane!" Her hand then became an aquatic whip that extended and then lashed out at Nic when the smoke cleared. He managed to evade a couple blows, blows the flexibility and the speed of the pressurized whip made it hard for him to avoid.

Back with Sol and Staraptor, Sol was using Roche Concerto, but she easily avoided it with her speed. Staraptor then used Double Team and a multitude of copies have appeared, confusing Sol.

"Which one is which? Je suis tres confused!" Sol said with eyes wide. He had to use Roche Concerto again, but he got two illusionary copies instead. The several others then converged on him and their wings were glowing a metal-gray color.

"Try and evade our Steel Wing!" The multitude of Staraptors said in unison. Sol flinched as the illusions fazed through him while the real one strikes him front the upper left, making him fly back and roll a few times.

"There's plenty more where that came from." Staraptor said as she flew in on Sol as he got up. Sol managed to snake his body around and wrap himself around Staraptor's body. Staraptor was stuck as Sol did not loosen his hold on the Predator Pokémon.

"Now now monsieur. Take it easy and please suffer from a slow demise." He said, with no way of being a gentlemen. Satraptor's movement was limited. All she could really do was move his head and feet. Sol's whole body was wrapped around her body, restraining his flight capabilities.

'This guy's got me in a bind, literally.' Staraptor thought. She then got up from the ground as stood on his two feet as Sol had squeezed even harder. 'Gah! This guy can't restrain me, not after I do this…' Staraptor then used Steel Wing, making his wings glow a metal-gray again. Her wings then became even more sturdy and she just spread his wings and he pried Sol off.

"My, my. Such a strong set of wings, oui?" Sol analyzed.

Back with Nic and Juvia, Juvia had cornered Nic after lashing him consecutively with her Water Cane. When she thought he was cornered, she encased him in Water Lock.

"You're not going to make this any easier for yourself, give up and we'll spare you." Juvia said, raising her voice.

Nic wasn't in there for long. He shifted into his Splash Plate and he got his breathing back.

"Lady, giving up isn't in my vocabulary, neither is amphibology, for different reasons!" Nic proclaimed. He shot out of there with Aqua Jet and went straight up, putting some distance in between.

"Hydro Pump!" Nic then created a mirror of water that unleashed a large volume of water that went at Juvia. Juvia then made her counterattack as the Hydro Pump came at her.

"Water Nebula!" She then created two columns of water and they rotated around each other, forming a giant helix. Juvia then unleashed the helix at the Hydro Pump and the two attacks had collided. The two eventually cancelled each other out. Nic landed on the ground, but was short lived as he was blasted with an aquatic beam at blinding speed. Nic yelped as the attack pressed onwards and he slammed into a cart and smashed right through it and finished with a massive thud.

Nic laid there and tried to relieve his pain, but he was repeatedly stricken by Juvia's onslaught of Water Canes. She pounded and lashed at him consecutively. Nic grunted as he got up while being lashed at. He wasn't taking much damage from the lashing since the Splash Plate was active, but the attacks were still too overbearing.

"Lady…you've…left me…no choice." Nic growled, making Juvia stop her attack in curiosity.

"How so?" she asked. The rain was still coming down and the battle was intensifying.

"I didn't want to use this, but I can see that I'm going to have to short cut my way through this fight." Nic said, grasping his arm from the lashing he had sustained. He then shifted into the Zap Plate, making Juvia recoil from said transformation.

Juvia didn't know what to do next. What could he possibly do? There was only one way to find out. She then used Water Slicer, but Nic easily dodged by ducking. He then showed his power of electricity and he shot forth a Thunderbolt at her.

Juvia tried to counter with a Water Nebula, but the water only conducted the electricity, making it trace back to Juvia. Since her body was water as well, she conducted the entire Thunderbolt. She screamed as the electricity was so painful. She fell to her knees and Nic approached.

Juvia looked up and used her Water Beam to keep Nic away, but that wasn't the best move to use.

"Thunderbolt!" Nic, once again, used his Thunderbolt attack and he shocked Juvia, making her Water Beam useless. Juvia slowly got back up and started shaking. She was boiling with such rage. Nic could feel the rain intensify as she was starting to show off some steam. She gradually turned into water and then began to charge at Nic.

"You're not beating me! Never! Sierra!" She shot up in the air and then lunged at Nic from an angle, flying in and coming at him with a scalding body of water. "Graaahhhh!"

Nic stood perfectly still. He knew how this was going to end, but he had to follow through with it regardless. Nic just glared as he saw Juvia come at him.

"I call upon the powers of the Zap Plate to finish my foe and relinquish her from my sight. Let it be known that the power of electricity can surge through the violent torrents of cruelty and shock them to their senses!" Nic then had a large thundercloud over the battle and then lightning surged about.

"You're finished!" Juvia shouted.

"Thunder!"

Nic then unleashed a huge thunderbolt down on Juvia at high speed. She was only five feet away when the bolt had struck her. As the powerful bolt rained down on her, she screamed in agony. She felt every nerve in her body give in after being exposed to so much power.

Juvia fell to the ground with a thud. The Thunder attack ceased and Nic stared down at the barely conscious Juvia. She was back to being solid rather than her Water Body. Nic knew Juvia couldn't get up after such a devastating blast.

With one opponent out for the count, Nic then looked to see that Staraptor was still doing battle with Sol. He was well aware of how stubborn Staraptor is, so having himself thrown into the mess wouldn't make things better.

'Staraptor's got this.' Nic thought. He was simply respecting his pokémon as she continue her quarrel with Sol.

Sol adjusted his monocle, seeing Juvia defeated. He shrieked in horror.

"Non, non, non! C'est impossible! Ma accomplice has been defeated!" Sol shrieked. "Tres mal! This is not good!" He then looked and saw Staraptor using Aerial Ace again, and Sol took the hit and skid back a few feet. He got down to one knee, exhausted from his quarrel with Staraptor.

Staraptor flapped in place and glared Sol down, of whom was now shaking from being intimidated by his adversary.

"So tell me, is that the best that you can do?" Staraptor asked, quite unimpressed by Sol's efforts. Sol took offense to said question and got back to his feet.

Sol bend his body. "My, my, what a predicament that I am in, non? Well mademoiselle, you est tres formidable. I shall reward you with my most powerful spell." He then made a seal in front of him, which was rather large. This got Staraptor on edge.

"Take this! Platre Sonata!" A large clenched fist that was made of plaster then went soaring straight into Staraptor. She saw the fist coming at her with such velocity that she was narrowed down to only a few options.

Her most obvious choice, and most common, was taking the hit. She extended her talons and blocked the attack with her legs. The fist went flying at her with such strength that it pushed her back with ease. She grunted as she pressed on with extending her talons so that her entire body doesn't suffer. With what she could manage, she used the momentum and grabbed two fingers with her talons and she mustered up every bit of strength to send it flying past her with a summersault. The fist exploded when it was only twenty feet away from her. She huffed and puffed, tired from the amount of strength that she had to conjure up. She was lucky that the attack didn't explode right in front of her; otherwise, she'd be a fried chicken.

"That…took a bit of…effort." Staraptor admitted, trying to regain her breathing. She looked down and saw Sol using Roche Concerto yet again. With no time, she used Double Team and managed to avoid the attack.

"You are looking rather drained, now let me finish you!" Sol then used Roche Concerto one more time, and rocks flew up and Staraptor managed to avoid it once again, only to have all of the illusionary copies destroyed.

Staraptor was just about finished, she sought to end it with her most powerful attack. She flew down at an angle and dived right into Sol. Sol countered with his Platre Sonata, sending another large plastered fist into Staraptor. She dodged with a twirl around the fist and she came at Sol at high speed.

"Non! Je suis in big trouble!" Sol was shuddering as Staraptor was in front of his face, almost making him wet himself.

"Close Combat!" Staraptor then unleashed a massive barrage of wing strikes, talon strikes, beak strikes, all repeatedly slaming and bashing Sol like a punching bag. Sol gagged and yelped after every consecutive strike, unable to process a single strike until another two or three are delivered with more force.

After a repeated beating, Staraptor gave it one final strike with her wing and Sol soared into the earth, all battered and broken. Sol laid there for a few moments before slowly moving his body and crawling. Staraptor flapped in place and saw Sol slowly crawl over towards Juvia, barely able to stand. Staraptor flew back to Nic's side and the two watched as Sol got Juvia and then put her arm around his shoulders to support her. Juvia was barely conscious, but had no strength.

Sol looked up and took a good look at the all mighty adversaries that bested him and Juvia. After a good long stare, Sol adjusted his monocle.

"You shall obtain this victory once more, but rest assure that we will not be laying down like this. Until then, I bid you adieu mes adversaries." Sol said. His body then slowly began to merge with the ground, taking Juvia with him for an escape. Nic and Staraptor watched as the two made their getaway and disappear by Sol's Earth Magic.

The rain then ceased, revealing the sun once more in less than ten seconds. Nic looked to see the light shining bright on him. This felt good.

Nic shifted back to normal and stood there, processing the situation.

"…why were those guys after Lucy?" Nic said, slowly remembering what they were saying. Their target was Lucy Heartfilia, an "heir" and her father wants her back. This required an explanation, and he knew just where to get one.

"Nic, I don't think things are going to get any better after this point." Staraptor stated. Nic turned to face his Pokémon. She was right. The odds were that they'll just keep coming until Lucy is finally captured. This was disturbing, but he had to focus on the situation at hand.

"…Yeah. We better be prepared for the worst…" Nic said, looking forward at the alley that they've fought in. Puddles were everywhere, reflecting the sun shining ever so brilliantly. Nic then returned Staraptor and turned around. "Time to get some answers."

The Guild Hall basement

Mira was tending to Lucy and her health. Lucy told Mira that she was fine and that Nic was handling the situation.

"Do you think Nic will be alright?" Lucy wondered, sitting in a chair at a table with Mira standing right by her.

"Hope so. Nic's strong…Lucy, who exactly were your assailants?" Mira was curious, but also concerned with whom Nic might be fighting. Lucy tried to remember. She looked up into space and tried recounting the events.

"Let's see…" Lucy was starting to piece it all together. "…I think they were Juvia, and the other guy with the French accent was Sol."

Mira gasped at this shocking development. She stepped back in shock.

"You mean two of the Element Four?!" Mira asked. Lucy looked down at the table and stare off into the unknown.

"Yeah." She paused before speaking again. "I'm not sure why Phantom wanted to kidnap me, but I all I can say is that it wouldn't be good for any of us. Not that this situation is already."

Mira turned around and looked worried. "Well, Gajeel is considered tougher than the Element Four, but even two of the Element Four should be as tricky if not tougher. I hope Nic knows what he's doing."

It was only a minute after that they heard footsteps from above. The two indicated that it could be a member of Phantom, so they had to take precaution. Lucy got up and reached for her Zodiac Keys. The two of them then proceeded to the stairs and then they heard the steps going downwards very slowly. The two were anxious, but were relieved to see Nic coming down.

"Nic!" Lucy said, glad he's still okay.

"Are you okay?" Mira asked. They got no reply as Nic was staring down the entire time at the steps that he was taking. He slowly went down, step by step, until he'd finally reached the bottom. Nic then turned around and pointed at the staircase.

"Ha! Think you could fool me twice, well think again! I have triumphed over you!" Nic proclaimed, not forgetting the last time when he came down the stairs. "I told you you've made a powerful enemy!"

The two girls looked on, dumbfounded that Nic was yelling at the steps. After a bit of gawking at Nic's stupid rivalry with a staircase, the two proceeded towards him.

"Uh, Nic?" Mira got his attention. He looked up and turned around to see Lucy and Mira staring at him in disbelief.

"Uhhh…hi." Nic said, getting back to reality. He noticed that besides Levy and the two injured in the hospital, Lucy, Mira, and himself were the only ones who stayed behind as the rest of the entire guild went to fight and kick booties.

"Are okay Nic?" Lucy asked. She notice that Nic was a little banged up from his battle and that he was lightly bruised all about.

"Yeah. My Pokémon and I were able to defeat them and drive them off as well." Nic then saw the shocked look on their faces. They were both stunned to hear that two Element Four members were defeated.

"You took down Juvia and Sol?!" Mira sounded like she was in deep shock, but who wouldn't.

Nic nodded. "Yeah, but I doubt that they'll accept this defeat. They said that they wanted Lucy, and I doubt that they'll stop until they have her." He indicated. Lucy looked down and couldn't help but wonder.

"I don't get it. Why is it that they want me?" Lucy narrowed her eyes, unable to solve the puzzle in her head.

Nic took a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay Lucy. It's time for some answers."

Lucy and Mira looked at Nic with confused faces, wondering what Nic was asking for.

"Answers?" Lucy asked. The three then gathered and sat at a nearby table to hear what Nic had to say.

"Those guys told me that you were an 'heir' and that your father wanted Phantom to bring you back to him." Nic explained. Lucy's eyes were wide with shock as her father was pulling strings.

"H-how could my father do this?!" Lucy stuttered. She was clenching her fists in anger. Mira took noticed and looked concerned.

"Lucy, what is it about your father?" Mira asked her concerned friend. Lucy took a moment before answering.

"The truth is…I'm a runaway." She said. Nic went wide eyed that Lucy was a runaway as well. Mira looked on in curiosity. Lucy continued. "My family was rich, and my mother died when I was ten. My father was more concerned with his own business and money than me. He neglected me, and I took off about a year ago and he hasn't cared. Now he wants me back?! I hate him! He asks Phantom to do all this stuff and torture my friends just to get me to come home! He's a horrible man!"

"Lucy…" Mira saw a few tears fall from Lucy's face. Mir went to get a small towel to dry Lucy's face. Lucy continued to look down and let a few tears fall for awhile. Nic looked down at the table and drifted off into a pitiful thought.

He and Lucy were in the same boat. They were both runaways, both were neglected, and both were wanted to be taken back. After Mira came back with a small towel for Lucy, Nic turned to face Lucy.

"I get it." He said, making them both look at him. "Lucy, you and I had the same past. Let me tell you something…my parents hated my guts. They repeatedly beat me senseless as they simply pampered my little sister. I protected my sister, regardless of what happened. They always blamed me and that I don't deserve to be called a big brother or a son."

"Oh my god…" Mira and Lucy were horrified by Nic's story.

"At fifteen, I took off and started on my journey the night after my parents have almost destroyed me. It didn't take long for the authorities to find me, but I told them what they did to me, and I said it while my parents were there. On the spot, my parents threatened to kill me and my dad tried choking me. The two were sentenced to life in prison and my sister id being taken care of by the neighbors. She's doing far better now that she didn't have to see her big brother take the beating for her."

The two looked on with a mixture of shock and horror that Nic had it far worse than Lucy. Aside from the potential death Nic faced every day, his past was similar to Lucy's.

Lucy stopped crying and looked at Nic in pity. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay. I almost died a few times and suffered multiple scars that are barely noticeable on my back. Aside from that, I was fine. I did anything to protect Vanessa, even if she did it by accident."

A short silence eroded and Nic got up. "Well listen Lucy, you stay here and have Mira look after you. I need to check something out. Your father's gonna pay. This isn't your fault, remember that." Nic said. Lucy nodded slowly, still thinking none of this would've happened if she had just stayed home.

But that wasn't important. Right now is what mattered. Nic proceeded to get up and go back up the stairs and out of sight from the two girls.

Nic went out and back into the forest. The Plates from within him were at a slow vibration, starting up again after the battle. He walked a little bit as he had found the spot he was sitting previously and then sat back down in cross-legged form. He closed his eyes and let nature do the rest.

Phantom Lord

Fairy Tail was in a hasty retreat after Master Makarov was defeated and depleted of all of his magic. Despite wanting to get revenge, Natsu had to retreat because Erza urged him. She felt so useless and weak with the Master defeated. The entire guild ran off with Phantom chasing them away.

"Well, they're off." Gajeel noted, being upside down a wooden beam and observing Fairy Tail's retreat.

"They're retreating with sorrow in their eyes." Aira noted. He was a tall man who had a blindfold on. He had a green hat and a green cape that went over his yellow shirt. Aria also had a purple scarf going about his neck from both ends of his coat.

Gajeel flipped over and was right next to him. "Aria, I see that you're as creepy as ever, but I commend you on taking down their Master." The Iron Dragon Slayer commented.

"I was just following Master Jose's orders" He then started to cry. "It's so sad!"

"Why are you always crying? It's getting annoying." Gajeel said. "So, what's the staus?"

Aria stopped crying. "No word." The two then went away using Aria's Magic. They made their way over towards Phantom Lord's headquarters. It wasn't far from Oak Town, and it resided on a rocky hill. It was a large building that had an entrance that was topped with ornamental parts, with an arc held by two square pillars, completed with arched windows below it, and placed above the smaller arc of the door itself. To the right was an angled zone with several orders of large arched windows. To the left was a hexagonal tower fused with the building, with very high ornamental windows in groups of three in the lower part, with smaller and more numerous windows in its upper part. Each of the tower's angles was marked with a long, round pillar with bulges in correspondence to the architect of the building. The top ended with three long bulges. The top itself was a dome that consisted a protrusion similar to the columns. Behind the dome was the central part stood one more dome, smaller and topped with the guild flag on it. On the right of said dome was a flat and round platform. The most distinct qualities were the pair of towers on its sides of the front. They were very high and had many floors, eight to be more precise on each side. The top of the towers ended with pointed tiled roofs. There were four towers in all.

Inside, Gajeel and Aria met up with Jose, who was rather pleased with the results of the battle.

"Well, we've won this round." Jose noted.

"Yes, and we have them on the run. What do you want us to do?" Aria questioned.

Jose paused. "Wait until Sol and Juvia have returned with our targets…" They all then saw Sol and Juvia emerge from the ground right near them. To their shock, they were beaten to a pulp. Gajeel and Aria looked on in shock. Jose was wide eyed to see them all torn up.

"What happened?" Jose ordered. Sol and Juvia both got their knees and on their hands, trying to catch their breaths. After a few moments, Sol was bowing repeatedly as to where Juvia was still recovering her strength.

"Oh, monsieur. Je suis tres desolee! We have been defeated and mercilessly thrashed about!" Sol said. The others looked on in disbelief. Gajeel growled, thinking he knows who did this.

"Let me guess, was it him?" He asked.

Sol then got back to his knees, stopping his bowing. "Oui. He was much too powerful, and just as you have said Monsieur Gajeel, he had his set of monsters helping him. He and his large bird were much too formidable pour moi. Juvia was beaten hopelessly and I could not keep up with his accomplice. This is a disaster!"

Jose gritted his teeth, now in deep curiosity of what this guy was. First, Gajeel, and now two members of the Element Four. Jose was curious, but also annoyed.

"Did you capture our target?" Jose asked, trying to keep his cool.

"Ah, non! He made Mademoiselle Heartfilia make the getaway. He got there just as we were recovering her!" Sol explained.

Now Jose was annoyed. Now magic was surging all around him. Everyone took notice of this change of mood.

"Very well then. Master Makarov and his pose are left defenseless, but they still had their trump card hiding out back. I'm anxious to see what this guy has to show me. Get ready for battle! It's time that we finish this!"

Fairy Tail

Erza cursed herself for the umpteenth time already. She felt guilty that she wasn't there to aid Makarov in his battle. She felt a small tear run down her cheek, but quickly wiped it away so that she didn't look weak in front of everyone, of whom felt the same.

They all made their way back in the guild basement, they all were dejected and melancholy. They had suffered a defeat and they all gathered to tend to any injuries as well as formulating battle strategies.

Erza was in the shower, clenching her fists. She couldn't let go at the fact that she couldn't do anything with Makarov being tended at Porlyusica's place, which was a tree. She knew Jose must have done something to drain his magic, and she had to do what it takes to avenge him.

When they all got back, Lucy explained everything about how she was their target all along. How she was the target and her father wanted her back. She sat on a storage box with Natsu leaning on a wall right next to her.

"Being target by people are just one of the downsides of being rich, at least you're in the presence of a real man, like me." Elfman boasted.

Gray turned back, annoyed of Elfman's comment. "Hey, shut it already." Gray berated him.

"I've gotta say, I was shocked to hear you're a runaway." Happy said.

"There's no way I could've said that I was a runaway in casual conversation. I've been gone of a year and now my father wants me back. He's done all of those horrible things just to get me to go back. He's a monster…still, if I haven't run away in the first place, none of this would've happened." Lucy said, about to go on the verge of tears.

"C'mon, don't be ridiculous. Your dad's the one to blame." Elfman said.

"Idiot!" Gray said.

"Eh, I meant it was Phantom's fault!" Elfman corrected himself.

"No, it's my fault. All of this happened because of my selfish choices." Lucy wasn't feeling lifted at all by this situation.

"So what?" Natsu said. "I wouldn't picture you being the princess in her mansion. Laughing with us in the Guild Hall, going on adventures even when you freak out all the time. That's you. No running, because you belong with us. You're Lucy of Fairy Tail." Natsu had a fist in the air, proclaiming Lucy's stay. Lucy then started to cry.

"Oh please, no waterworks." Gray wined.

"Yeah. Real men are weak to tears." Elfman shuddered.

"I'm sorry!" Lucy cried. Loke looked on at Lucy from a distance, seeing her upset which made him bring back some painful memories.

Meanwhile, Cana was trying to locate Mystogan through her cards, but had no luck. She threw the cards all about.

"C'mon! I can't get a reading on where Mystogan is!" Cana complained. Mira looked back from her communication lacrima at the disturbed Cana.

"Oh dear, you did your best." She said.

"We've got too man wounded to put up a fight if Phantom comes back to get Lucy. And where the heck is Nic?"

"He said he needed to check something out." Mira said.

"Why is it taking him so long? I mean, if it's rest then it's understandable since he defeated Gajeel, and two of the Element Four, but to check something out isn't a suitable thing to go by." Cana noted.

"Mystogan is nowhere, and Master is wounded. You're the only one left. Please Laxus." Mira pleaded to the communication lacrima, which had Laxus communicating on the other end.

He looked annoyed. He then put a hand over his head. "Oh man, Gramps is freakin pathetic. Hahahaha. I don't see how this is remotely my problem. You're a big girl, so deal with it yourself!"

"So you're not gonna help us?!" Cana asked.

"Course not! Why would I?! Why would I clean up your guys' mess?!"

"Please Laxus, they want Lucy." Mira noted.

"Who? Do I even know her…oh wait, it's that blonde chick right? Tell you what, you talk her into being my woman and if Cana strips for me I'll do whatever she asks me to do." Laxus bargained.

"You pig!" Cana shouted.

"You wanna talk that way to a guy you're begging help from. Do me a favor, if that geezer lives, tell him he's out of his league and he should hand the guild over to me! Hahahaha!" Mira then shattered the lacrima out of anger. She then had tears running down all over her face.

"Why are people so cruel?" She sobbed.

Cana looked at Mira with deep concern. "Mira…"

"I don't understand. How could someone from Fairy Tail be so cruel?" Mira then turned around started to walk off. "I can't sit here and do nothing. I have to fight!"

Cana then tried to stop her. "I understand Mira. But even though you were an S-Class Wizard, you shouldn't put yourself in harm's way."

"I don't care. I want to protect Lucy and Fairy Tail." Mira said.

In the shower, Erza was still feeling down, but it wasn't like she could instantly cheer up. She then realized that she hasn't seen Nic ever since she got back. This left her even more discomforted. She was hoping to see Nic so that he could cheer her up, but no.

Meanwhile, in the forest…

Nic had been in the forest for a long time. He was becoming ever so slow in breathing. He was as still as a rock. Absolute zero movement, taking in everything that he could. Everything was just flowing into him. The wind, the air, the atmosphere. There was no limit as to what Nic could feel. He felt the earth beneath him vibrate with such life. He felt the grass against his jeans. He felt his Plates absorbing the energy and springing to life from within.

He felt himself getting more energy from earlier. Back from before he fought Juvia and Sol, he felt nature lending him a helping hand, and his Plates reacted ever so lively.

Nic had a pretty good assumption as to what might become of him if he kept this up.

One minute passed, and he felt as though everything was one. He now felt the energy blooming all about. His Plates vibrated ever so violently, and suddenly it stopped. Nic kept his mind with nature as he felt himself glow…

Fairy Tail

They felt the earth shake not too long after. Erza was just about finished in the shower when the entire still started to shake.

"What?" Erza wondered. She got out of the shower and wrapped herself in a pink towel. She then proceeded back to the basement, where the others were starting get all shaken up.

"What's going on?" Erza demanded.

"We don't know!" Elfman stated.

"Everyone outside, let's go!" Gray shouted. With no time to spare, everyone gathered whatever supplies they could get and went outside.

With Nic

Nic had his sunglasses on, with his V-neck now a jungle green t-shirt. His shoes were now sturdy jungle shoes. His jeans were now camo pants. His sleeveless coat was light green and the bottom had green grass going up to the back of his thighs.

His sunglasses glowed white while the rest of him was glowing green and sparking all over. Almost immediately, he was no one hundred percent full health. His calf and injuries from earlier were gone and now he was full of energy.

He felt the atmosphere change, sending a chill down his spine.

'Phantom Lord, huh.' Nic had a feeling it was them. They were coming up by the shores and he could sense it from where he was at.

He got up on his two feet and stretched.

He smirked. "Guess it's time to join in on the fun."